African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
Not a member yet
282 research outputs found
Sort by
“Are we Producing Teachers for the 4IR Digitized Classroom?” – A Case Study of a School of Education
Get PDFWith over two years of remote online learning, this paper assessed the extent to which academics in a School of Education (SoE) at a South African university employed their espoused (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) TPACK in preparing teachers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) classroom. Besides facilitating the development of disciplinary expertise, academics were expected to engage students with technological and other cross-functional skills needed to succeed as global citizens in a digitized society. Premised on the TPACK framework, a mixed-method approach using data from questionnaires distributed to all the academics in the SoE and interviews with five academics from the different disciplinary clusters of the SoE were analysed to explore their self-assessed TPACK to understand how academics prepare future teachers for the digitized 4IR classrooms. The findings suggest that academics may possess the relevant TPACK, but online educational practices may not have sufficiently equipped future teachers with the competence to thrive in the 4IR classroom. The outcome of this research provides valuable insights into academics' TPACK, especially those in teacher education, regarding their online pedagogical pursuit, the SoE in their quest to produce teachers fit for the 4IR classroom, and the scholarship of digital transformation in general
Challenges Experienced by SMMEs and Interventions by the South African National and Provincial Government: A Literature Review
Get PDFSmall, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are pivotal players in economies worldwide, especially in developing and emerging economies, where they contribute significantly to job creation, poverty alleviation, and innovation. Despite their limited capital and financial resources, SMMEs play a vital role in new product development and technological innovation, driving industrial renewal and economic growth. This study employs a qualitative content analysis approach to examine the challenges and opportunities confronting SMMEs. Data for this analysis were drawn from various scholarly sources, including journals, books, and reputable academic publications. The findings of this theoretical literature review underscore that while SMMEs aim to foster economic growth and formalize their presence, regulatory and legislative frameworks often present stringent compliance requirements, posing significant challenges. This research highlights the potential of national and provincial public sector institutions to facilitate SMME growth and development, ensuring their stability and prominence within the economy
The Cross-cultural Structural Validity of the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10) in a South African Sample
Get PDFThe study sought to assess the structural validity of the 10-item measure of the B5P instrument in the South African context. World Values Survey data, collected in South Africa (N = 3 531), were analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, to ascertain the factorial structure of the data, including across sub-groups, focusing on measurement invariance. The theorised factorial structure of the B5P survey did not mirror the theorised structure in the South African sample. This was demonstrated in the inspection report, as well as in the tests of measurement invariance. Even sub-groups, typifying the Westernised, educated, industrialised, wealthy, and democratic part of the South African society, did not provide structures that mirrored the theorised model. The assumption that well-established instruments are valid in settings, different to the one where they were initially developed in, should be questioned, and such instruments should not be used, unless thoroughly tested
How Does SME Social Media Adoption Drive Marketing Performance?
Get PDFThis study presents an integrated model investigating the dynamics of small and medium enterprise (SME) social media adoption and its impact on SME marketing performance. Drawing data from a cross-sectional survey among 234 SMEs operating in various sectors in Ghana, this research employed a comprehensive analysis using the statistical package for the social sciences and structural equation modelling to test 14 hypotheses. While trust and interactivity were significant drivers of social media adoption, the results revealed the cost and complexity influence on adoption was not substantiated. Additionally, the study underscored the crucial role of organisational, environmental, and entrepreneurial factors in shaping social media adoption patterns among SMEs. Moreover, the findings highlighted the positive social media adoption impact on both non-financial and financial marketing performance, with non-financial marketing performance further contributing to overall financial marketing performance. Despite its contributions, this study acknowledges certain limitations, including its focus on SMEs exclusively present on social media in Accra and the potential implications of these findings on SMEs operating in other regions of Ghana. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between SME social media adoption and marketing performance, contributing to the broader understanding of digital marketing strategies within the SME sector
Globalisation and ICT in Education through Unhu/Ubuntu African Philosophical Framework: A Case of the Zimbabwean Curriculum
Get PDFThis paper reviews the philosophical foundations of Unhu/Ubuntu in the Zimbabwean education system. The Zimbabwean curriculum underwent a comprehensive paradigm shift from a Western philosophy to an ancient indigenous philosophy of Unhu/Ubuntu. The Western philosophy was discarded on the premise that it provided an extraneous education lacking authentic existence for the people. Through the lens of connectivism, the paper answers the question of how after this removal from Western ideals, the present education impacts the country’s need to be an active player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and global citizenship. Digital technologies are not a traditional heritage from an African epistemology. Therefore, the question remains whether the philosophy of Unhu/Ubuntu is rich enough to provide a framework for the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) and a resultant 4IR-relevant education for the country. We argue that Unhu/Ubuntu is well aligned to provide a framework for a digitalised technological education through its ethical, humanistic values. The paper concludes with a strong assertion that while both Capitalism and Unhu/Ubuntu achieve the goals of 4IR through education, one produces a competent skilled worker without the accompaniment of moral and ethical integrity which the other deliberately instils besides the skills and competences
Dimensional Analysis of Service Fairness on Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: A Local Municipality Study
Get PDFThe recent series of service delivery protests directed at various local municipalities across South Africa, as frequently reported in the media, render it indispensable to examine the underlying association between service fairness, service quality and customer satisfaction within local municipalities in the country. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of service fairness on service quality and customer satisfaction from the South African local municipal service context. A structured questionnaire elicited data through a convenient sample of 400 rates and taxes payers within three municipal districts in the Vaal Triangle. Descriptive statistics, correlations and regression analysis were used to evaluate relationships between the study constructs. Two of the four predictor variables, namely interactive and informational fairness showed significant predictive relationships towards service quality in municipality services provision among rates and taxes payers. Service quality towards customer satisfaction also emerged as a significant predictor. Municipality managers should embrace customer interaction and participation because customers evaluate the degree of service fairness displayed by the municipal employees and its effects of the service they deliver
Assessing Infection Control Knowledge and Compliance of Cardiovascular Perfusionists in Theatre at a Private Hospital in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Get PDFInfections acquired in a hospital (HAI) often referred to as nosocomial infections are related with increasing morbidity and death among patients that are hospitalised and are predisposed to an elevated risk of infection by health workers (HCWs). The need to maintain an effective infection prevention and control program is therefore essential for quality health care. This study sought to assess the knowledge and compliance of infection control practices of Cardiovascular Perfusionists in theatre at a private healthcare facility in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in the city of Durban. We conducted a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 12 Cardiovascular Perfusionists (CP) who were purposively selected from private sector. The interviews lasted between 20 to 25 minutes and were transcribed, and then thematic analysis were applied using NVivo. The study found that there is a need for Clinical Technologist specialising in Cardiovascular Perfusion to undergo training in infection control and prevention practices at the higher education and training level. Subsequently, the study reveals that Cardiovascular Perfusionists have a good overall understanding of pathogens and the implications thereof. The study also notes that there is considerable compliance to infection control practices in theatre irrespective of the knowledge pertaining to infection control and prevention policies. We concluded that there is an overall good knowledge and understanding regarding infection control practices, although many felt that there exists an inequitable application of infection control policies due to professional biases
Factors Influencing the Pattern of Wildlife Product Consumption in Indochina: Case Study of Lao PDR
Get PDFThe illegal wildlife trade is the most significant direct threat to biodiversity in Indochina. This problem will likely worsen without immediate and effective measures to control wildlife consumption. This study determines the socio-demographic factors and knowledge of consumers on wildlife animals and the pattern of wildlife consumption in Laos. The framework constructed is based on a theory of planned behaviour. About 200 consumers from major markets in northern, middle, and southern parts of Laos were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect information on gender, age, ethnicity, religion, level of education, occupation, income, frequency of wildlife consumption, etc. Multinomial logistic regression results showed that consumers' places of birth and education levels have a significant relationship with the pattern of wildlife consumption. The results indicate that local consumers with a high education are more likely to buy wildlife products as a gift than those with low education who are more likely to consume wildlife products as a source of medicine/food. Regarding the use of wildlife products on occasions of traditional ritual/release, local consumers with high education levels are less likely to consume wildlife products than those with lower education levels. The findings suggest that the government should target local people and collate different propaganda for people with varying levels of education to reduce the use of wildlife products
The Ubuntu Principle in the Internal and Foreign Policy of South Africa
Get PDFThis article discusses the peculiar features of South Africa’s foreign policy, which became the fifth member of BRICS in 2011. The decision for South Africa’s accession to BRICS was based on the principles of the country's foreign policy; facilitating the establishment of a multipolar, just, and equitable world order, striving for the development and prosperity of Africa. The focus is on the notion of Ubuntu and the formation of foreign policy in South Africa since the 90s of the 20th century. Ubuntu is one of the basic philosophical concepts and organizational principles of the Bantu-speaking people of Africa. After the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa and the democratic transformation undertaken in 1994, the philosophy of Ubuntu was adopted by the leaders of the country and became an instrument regulating public life, became a regular fixture of domestic public policy as well as firmly entrenching itself as one of the key principles of foreign policy. The purpose of this paper is to determine when the philosophy of Ubuntu became part of the political landscape of South Africa, to establish the degree of this concept’s influence on the external and internal political rhetoric, and to determine the tools for the dissemination of Ubuntu by the government of South Africa. The scientific novelty consists in a comprehensive analysis of state documents and their study with reference to content on the Ubuntu concept. Earlier, such an analysis has not been introduced into the scientific study of our country. The conclusions reached by the author assert a high degree of integration of the concept of Ubuntu in the strategic course of the South Africa's policy
Skin Disease Prevalence amongst Rural Communities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Get PDFLittle information is known of skin diseases within rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. There is an urgent need to identify plants with antimicrobial activity as there is an increase in the incidence of new and re-emerging infectious diseases. The present study compares species from two different localities used to treat common skin diseases, the parts used, and the method used to prepare traditional cures. The prevalence of skin disease compared to other ailments were also compared. Traditional healers from northern (seven main districts) and mid-KwaZulu-Natal (three main districts) muthi markets were randomly selected and interviewed after obtaining consent. Data collected included the specific plants used to treat skin diseases, common names, parts of the plant used, the collection locality, and the conditions treated by the traditional healers. Fourteen plant species were collected and traded in northern KwaZulu-Natal based on their curative properties and their use to treat wounds, skin lesions, rashes, burns, and scratches compared to only six in mid-KwaZulu-Natal. Approximately 43 percent of species were common to all districts, possibly due to their wide distribution. People with skin diseases formed the majority of traditional healer consults. Most conditions were very similar, possibly due to rural communities following a similar lifestyle. Skin infections and eczema were commonly treated conditions, followed by acne, hair disorders, and bruises. Skin diseases are common amongst rural community dwellers in KwaZulu-Natal regardless of location, possibly due to their association with HIV infection. The plants used by traditional healers to treat various conditions are related to geographical distribution and abundance patterns